There are thousands of these locations across the country in schools, libraries, malls, and community centers. You can look up free tax prep locations by ZIP code – there were five in as many miles near me, and only one required appointments. You can also give them a call at 1-800-906-9887.

Although many take walk-ins who show up with all their paperwork, it’s probably a good idea to make an appointment just in case. The closer to Tax Day (April 17) we get, the more hectic things will be.

Free in-person help for people 60-plus

If you’re a sexagenarian (a fun word for those in their 60s), the IRS has a Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program too. These experts provided through the AARP have special knowledge of tax issues related to retirement and pension plans.

You don’t have to be an AARP member to qualify – all you have to do is use their website to find an AARP Tax Aide near you. Alternatively, call 1-888-227-7669.

Just a little warning, though – while these sites will help you prepare and file for free, there’s often a fee for filing a state return, amending your federal return, or pulling up a previous year’s return. Fees vary, but can often run between $10 and $40 for each of these snags. So shop around, do things right the first time, and keep both digital and hard copies when you file.

Free online filing and tax help for everybody else

There are two components to the IRS free file system – the preparation help is only for those with gross income below $57,000. But the online filing part is free for everybody, so feel free to use the IRS’ Free File Fillable Forms instead of mailing in a pen-and-paper version.

And while you can’t get step-by-step guidance this way, you can always get free help from the IRS by visiting a local office or calling them at 1-800-829-1040. And though it may take some digging, IRS.gov has all its tax code publications online and a huge, searchable tax FAQ. Not the most convenient way to do your taxes, but still free.

Think your taxes are too complicated to handle on your own? We’ll be posting a lot more tax hacks in the coming weeks, and on Friday, we’ll talk about how to find the best tax pro. In the meantime, you might want to check out our first tax hack for 2012: home office deductions.

It's not the usual blah, blah, blah

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